No empirical research has focused on understanding the academic stress of Chinese international students in the United States. This qualitative inquiry examines the most stressful aspects of their academic lives in the U.S., how they characterize their academic stress, and what conditions they believe tend to account for their academic stress. Findings indicate that academic stress is extremely high for most students in this study. Culture and education disparities between China and America, together with Chinese students' language deficiencies, ineffective interactions with American faculty members, and their high motivations to achieve contribute to their academic stress. These results can be used to help Chinese international students adapt to the American educational environment and improve the services and programs American universities offer to their foreign students.